US: Reporter Covering Train Derailment Arrested

EAST PALESTINE, USA —

A television reporter was thrown to the ground, handcuffed and arrested for trespassing while covering a press conference about the derailment of a train carrying toxic chemicals in Ohio.

NewsNation posted a video of the arrest of correspondent Evan Lambert that occurred Wednesday in the gym of an elementary school in East Palestine, where Gov. Mike DeWine was providing an update on the accident.

Lambert was detained for about five hours before being released from jail, according to NewsNation.

“I’m fine right now. It’s been an extremely long day,” Lambert said after he was released. “No journalist expects to be arrested when he does his job, and I think it’s very important that that doesn’t happen in our country.”

At the end of his news conference, DeWine said he did not authorize the arrest and that reporters have “every right” to report during briefings.

“If someone was prevented from doing that or told they couldn’t do it, that was wrong,” DeWine said.

A later statement from the governor’s office said DeWine did not see the incident because cameras were blocking his view, but he heard “disagreement in the back of the gym.”

DeWine “has always respected the media’s right to report live before, during and after his press conferences,” the statement read.

Mike Viqueira, NewsNation’s Washington bureau chief, called the arrest a maddening violation of the First Amendment.

Washington-based Lambert may still face charges for disorderly conduct and trespassing, he said. NewsNation.

About 50 train cars, including 10 carrying hazardous materials, derailed Friday night at the edge of the East Palestine town. Federal investigators say a mechanical problem with a railcar axle caused the derailment.

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